The Second Christmas by Marta Perry

Author:Marta Perry [Perry, Marta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

By the time they reached home, Leah had a plan that she hoped would help Becky deal with her annoying customer and maybe give the younger ones a guide to future problems. As for her own problem, she still didn’t know.

She couldn’t go back and change what her fear had made her do in the past, but at least she could change how she confronted problems in the future. If only she could be brave enough . . .

The first step was to clear her plans with Mammi. The opportunity came when she found herself helping Mamm roll out the dough for homemade noodles.

Leah patted a small ball of dough on a floured bread board. Mammi was doing the same at the other end of the table.

“It takes an awful big amount of noodles to feed this family.” Leah pressed the dough down and began rolling it out gently.

Mammi smiled. “I’ve never made too many. Sometimes I think there will be leftovers, but the more we have, the more they eat. Your brothers, especially. Ach, but that’s a wonderful gut thing, yah?”

“For sure.” She turned the board to roll in the other direction, creating a bigger, flatter circle with each stroke. Mammi was doing the same, and they worked almost in rhythm.

“You know, I was thinking that it might be good for me to talk to the girls about how to deal with people like . . . well, like some people I ran into when I was traveling by myself. People who get too friendly.”

By making it sound as if it was about her, she might be able to divert attention from Becky. But she quickly found she was wrong.

“Becky,” her mother said quickly. “Has she talked with you? What is troubling her?”

She had to proceed carefully now. “Becky did talk with me a bit. But—”

“Ach, I know,” Mammi interrupted. She brushed her lips as if to brush away the question she’d asked, leaving a smear of flour on her cheek. “She asked you not to say anything.” She seemed to struggle with the words. “It’s all right. Go on.”

Leah nodded, feeling as if a lot could be said between the two of them without the need for words. Mammi was having the fear lots of Amish mothers had these days . . . that their young daughters might not be prepared for the outside world intruding on their safety. Too many bad things had happened, some right here in Pennsylvania, at least one in their mother community in Lancaster County.

“I think I could help them know what to say and what to do, and maybe they’d . . .”

“They’d take it better from their sister than their parents,” Mammi finished for her. She hesitated a moment, pondering before she spoke. “Yah, I think they might.”

Mammi dusted her hands together, came around the table, and hugged her tightly. “Denke, Leah. Let’s do it.”

So with considerable doubts, after supper Leah popped an enormous mixing bowl full of popcorn, chased her brothers away, and led her sisters upstairs to her bedroom.

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